Perditii — Daniel Harms

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Date: July 17, 2015, 15:45:33From: Philip_lefkowitz@fws.govTo: Jana_doreal@fws.govSubject: REDACTEDThe gist of your report: Subject wandered away from her hiking group on July 10. Extensive ground and air search over fifty miles turned up nothing. Body was found seventeen miles away on July 14, three hundred feet from an inhabited cabin. Autopsy shows abrasions on arms and legs. Death consistent with dehydration, even though this area is filled with lakes and streams.

Why didn’t she seek shelter? Or call for help? Or even take a damn drink?

And what about the other three bodies from the last ten years?

Summon Perditus (from Al Azif)Brings a perditus to overcome the caster. Costs similarly to other Summon spells for success. There is no binding. The caster may either fight off or give into its influence.

According to Alhazred, this ceremony allowed him to wander through the Empty Quarter while gaining deep insight into the nature of the cosmos. A person who wanders under the power of the Perditus in this manner, through the wilderness, gains +2% Cthulhu Mythos every twelve hours. In most cases, the Perditus called with this spell will leave after the caster becomes unconscious.

Where the Perditii originated is unknown; Eibon speculated that they were pests brought with the lloigor from the Andromeda galaxy. Today they are found in all parts of the globe, although their influence is best felt in wilderness areas. Their insidious influence causes the disappearance of people who wander into their territory. Distorted tales of them have manifested in supernatural legends, ranging from the hunter-destroying Curupira of Brazil to the mischievous piskies of the West Penwith hills.

A Perditus (singular of Perditii) is a psychic entity that manifests on an unpredictable schedule. At that time, it seeks out the nearest intelligent being, preferably one that is alone or on the outskirts of a group. When it finds the person, it engages in a contest of its Magic Points versus that of the victim. If the contest fails, the Perditus usually seeks out other prey. If it succeeds, it allows itself to fasten upon the person’s aura, costing the victim 1D3 MP that are not regenerated.

Under the influence of the Perditus, the perception of the victim becomes warped. Although the person is able to partake of food and water, all sense of direction and position is lost. The victim cannot consistently follow trails or markers and does not recognize familiar territory. Even watches, compasses and GPS indicators are read in a confused manner. This leads to a Sanity loss of 1/1D6 every twelve hours under its influence.

The Perditus causes its victim to hide or run from anyone, even those with whom they are most familiar. Further, the Perditus can initiate other MP vs MP contests against anyone coming near. Success means the encroaching individual overlooks the victim or signs thereof. The Perditus can only target one person at a time, so the proximity of groups is problematic for it.

With close contact with a Perditus victim, an individual who succeeds in a Psychology roll or who restrains the victim can bring them in safely. (Perditii do infest urban areas to a lesser extent, but their victims are often taken for victims of a psychotic break and treated before they can depart.)

The MP vs. MP test is repeated every 12 hours. Once the victim’s MP reaches 0, he or she falls unconscious, and the Perditus feasts directly on the victim’s POW, taking 1 point every hour. The victim may die due to dehydration before their POW can reach 0. In either case, the Perditus vanishes into the interdimensional interstices.

The Perditii have two weaknesses, not known to humans at this time. They shun large concentrations of electrical power, such as large generators and high tension wires. They also shun areas that are still populated with lloigor, although this is hardly an encouraging weakness.

A Perditus is invisible and insubstantial. An Identify Spirit spell or appropriate psychic ability will cause the user to glimpse a Perditus as a blurry shape covering the person’s eyes. Exorcism, via the spell Cast Out Devil or another means, will free the person. In most cases, however, the Perditus simply leaves an individual who others have located.

Armor: Immune to all physical weapons, save for major sources of electricity (think Yithian lightning guns instead of tasers). Even these cannot be targeted save with magical detection. Psychic attacks or magic such as Dread Curse of Azathoth, work as normal. Attacks of any sort against a host merely damage the possessed creature, save if it falls into the category above.

Sanity loss: 0/1D4 to see it via magic. A possessed victim loses 1D3/1D8 Sanity for every twelve hours under the Perditus’ influence.